1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with a casing brake mechanism used in conjunction with a stuffing horn and adapted for selective engaging and braking action against a casing applied over a tubular casing horn. More particularly, it is concerned with such a mechanism which can be remotely adjusted to vary the compressive forces exerted against the casing, thereby facilitating filling operations. In preferred forms, a pair of adjacent, obliquely oriented, resilient rings are employed, together with a fluid pressure-actuated, annular thrust ring adjacent the rearmost ring for selectively engaging the rings and causing compression thereof against the underlying casing. In order to inhibit passage of air entrapped between the casing and horn into the confines of the latter, the overall stuffing apparatus is provided with a sealing assembly adjacent the brake mechanism. The brake mechanism is selectively shiftable between a sealing position wherein the casing is compressed against a sealing member in order to inhibit flow of entrapped air into the confines of the casing, and a braking position serving to control the passage of casing off the horn during stuffing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Comminuted and whole muscle meat products (e.g., sausages, bolognas, hams and beef briskets) are often placed within protective casings for sale to the consuming public. To this end, sizing equipment is employed which has an elongated, tubular casing horn together with meat-conveying pump means for feeding the meat products into the rear end of the horn. A casing is placed over the forward open end of the horn to receive meat product as it emerges from the open horn end. Conventional clippers are typically used to close the ends of the casing during such filling operations.
A persistent problem with sizing equipment of this type is the need to "brake" the casing as it is being filled, in order to prevent too rapid movement of the casing off the casing horn. Without such a braking mechanism, the finished casing will often be loosely filled with product, which is unacceptable both from an aesthetic and sanitary viewpoint.
In response to this problem, it has been known to provide casing brakes having a segmented annular metallic ring adapted to fit over a casing horn, along with a "quad" resilient ring as a backing member. A source of pressurized air is used which acts against the quad ring in turn compressing the metallic ring against a casing, see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,671. This type of casing ring has proved to be deficient in that the metallic ring does not provide the desired degree of adjustable braking action; moreover, the flattened ring surface can cause tearing or splitting of a casing.
Another type of known brake mechanism as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,847,953 and 4,675,945 employ resilient casing rings, with radial adjustment thereof being made by a threaded section which must be manually manipulated. These systems suffer from the fact that the rings often do not properly seat or "shoulder out" against a casing. Furthermore, the necessity of manual adjustment, in the region of the sizer adjacent the clippers, presents a hazard to equipment operators.
Accordingly, there is a real and unsatisfied need in the art for an improved casing brake mechanism which not only provides an infinitely adjustable brake so that casing movement can be accurately controlled, but which can also be readily adjusted from a remote location.